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Thursday, June 30, 2016

In case you haven’t heard, the city of Istanbul was bombed this week. Suicide bombers chose the city’s main airport — Turkey’s largest — as its target on Tuesday, killing nearly 50, injuring nearly more than 200.

When beer-drinking fans of a British rock band arrived at an Istanbul record shop earlier this month, some Muslim neighbors were so incensed about the perceived disrespect during the Muslim holy month that they attacked patrons.

Jihad in Istanbul
Turkey pays a price for the slow campaign against Islamic State.
Global View Columnist Bret Stephens on the Istanbul airport terror attack and the

Turkey suffered its 10th terrorist attack in less than a year on Tuesday when a coordinated suicide assault on Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport killed 41 people and injured more than 200. The choice of target is noteworthy. Ataturk airport is one of the world’s busiest, processing some 42 million passengers and 314,000 commercial flights last year. Among the dead were citizens of China, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, in addition to Turkish nationals. As terrorist atrocities go, it’s hard to get more global than that.

Turkey’s Hurting Tourism Industry Could Be the Next Victim of the Istanbul Attack

Jared Malsin/Istanbul @jmalsin

Istanbul’s main airport was operating again on Thursday morning, less than two days after the devastating gun and suicide bomb attack here that killed at least 44 people. At the international arrival hall, workers replaced shattered panes of glass and affixed new tiles to the ceiling. Luggage in tow, travelers emerged from the baggage claim arriving from cities like Geneva, Mombasa and Riyadh, part of stream of travelers into and out of Ataturk airport, the third-busiest in Europe. At the near the taxi stand outside, black-clad police stood guard, guns at the ready.

Europe's Turkey problem is much worse than Europe's Brexit problem
James Poulos
June 29, 2016

Three months ago, I slept fitfully during a 13-hour layover in the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk airport. The U.S. Mission in Turkey had just published an emergency message warning of "credible threats to tourist areas, in particular to public squares and docks in Istanbul." My nerves were jangled, but in the end, I was safe.

Over the past 12 months, 298 people have been killed and about 1,000 wounded in 17 terror attacks in Turkey. The attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on the evening of June 28 was the sixth major terror attack in 2016.

#PrayForTurkey: People worldwide flock to Twitter to mourn with Turkey

Posted by: Ali Wael in Rebounds 16 hours ago 0 43 Views

People around the globe have united in sympathy, sending Turkey words of condolence and support after a terrorist attack at Ataturk Airport left nearly 40 people killed and 147 injured. Twitter was flooded with overwhelming condemnation and anger.

"I want to start with the question of tourism... we are lifting the administrative restrictions in this area," Vladimir Putin said. (File Photo)
Moscow, Russia: President Vladimir Putin today lifted Moscow's travel restrictions to Turkey and ordered trade ties normalized after his first phone call with counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan since Ankara downed a Russian jet last year.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

ISTANBUL: When Demet Mutlu dropped out of Harvard six years ago to found an online fashion retailer in her native Turkey, friends thought she was crazy to leave the world's top business school for a leap into the unknown.

There are few threats Turkey’s leading newspaper editor has not faced, from government threats to gunmen attempting a daylight assassination. But during a trip to Paris, Can Dundar vowed to keep fighting.

It has been six years since Israeli commandos attacked a flotilla of Palestine supporters trying to break Tel Aviv’s maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip. In the aftermath of the attack, which killed 10 Turkish citizens, diplomatic relations between the two allies froze. This week, a reconciliation deal was finally signed after years of negotiation moderated by the United States. Ambassadors will return to Ankara and Tel Aviv, economic relations will accelerate and Turkey will be given the opportunity to fund reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

Nearly three years after Turkey secured an apology from Israel for the boarding of the Mavi Marmara off Gaza, the two sides finally normalized ties on Sunday, enabling the two strategic powers to restore a working relationship at a time of great geopolitical stress in the region. Less expected but more significant, the Kremlin announced Monday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a letter apologizing for the downing of a Russian Su-24 military aircraft near Turkey's border with Syria. The Russians had long insisted on the apology as a prerequisite for restoring ties. With the apology out of the way, important issues ranging from Turkish facilitation of a NATO naval presence on the Black Sea to Russia's blocking of Turkey's position in Syria can be negotiated. Deeply divergent interests, however, will limit Turkish-Russian relations.

Now that the referendum is over and the dust is beginning to settle, the true picture of what happened in Britain and the reasons for this are slowly beginning to emerge. Although they supported the “Leave” campaign, many Britons are reportedly having second thoughts about what they did.

June 26, 2016: In early 2016 Turkey successfully tested a locally designed and made laser guided missile (MAM-L) for use by its existing UAVs. The laser guided MAM-L is a 22.5 kg (50 pound) weapon with a 10 kg (22 pound) warhead has a range of eight kilometers. Bayraktar, a Turkish designed and built UAV, carried the MAM-L for the test and is now using it in combat.

Is Brexit the final nail in the coffin of Turkey’s longstanding bid to accede to the European Union?

Among the bewildering array of grim predictions and shady statistics that characterized the British referendum of membership of the European Union (EU) was one truly breathtaking claim. It came from the campaign literature of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the Vote Leave movement, and it stated that if the UK stayed in the EU, one key danger would be the accession of Turkey “by 2020.”

After meeting with German officials, Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dundar spoke with DW. The dissident Turkish journalist harshly criticized the EU's controversial deportations deal with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

It's now possible to pay for not going to the military service in Turkey. This became the starting point of making a documentary where PhD student Onur Bakır explores complex attitudes of society towards the military service and suggests another solution: giving people the choice to serve by working for an NGO, being a librarian or doing social work, like reforestation.

Tens of print and media outlets have been either seized or forced to shut down by the Turkish authorities in the past few years. Hundreds of journalists have been jailed, intimidated or fined for their journalistic works. Space for independent journalism in the country has shrunk alarmingly.

Friday, June 24, 2016

However you slice it, the result of the referendum in the United Kingdom to exit the European Union is the start of another era in Europe. After the era of princedoms, there came the era of nations. After the era of nations, comes the era of racism.

Germany is facing a crucial question. How can the refugees be stopped? Demonstrating an alarming lack of historical awareness, Chancellor Angela Merkel is putting all her faith in an alliance with Turkey. Yet as events of the early 20th century clearly showed, Germany should never make its political destiny dependent on co-operation with the nationalistic Turkish state. An essay by Stefan Buchen

ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament has granted immunity from prosecution to members of the armed forces conducting counter-terrorism operations as security forces battle Kurdish militants in fighting that has killed thousands in the past year.

Before dawn in Istanbul, in the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. A turbaned Turkish cleric kneels on a prayer carpet and prepares to recite verses from the Koran.

"In the name of God, the compassionate and the merciful..."

Nothing especially unusual – except the cleric is reading not in a mosque but what is officially a museum. And the museum is the Hagia Sophia, one of the single most emblematic edifices of human civilisation. A masterpiece of architecture, the Hagia Sophia was first built as a church in the sixth century under the Christian Byzantine Empire as the centrepiece of its capital Constantinople, today's Istanbul.

Before dawn in Istanbul, in the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. A turbaned Turkish cleric kneels on a prayer carpet and prepares to recite verses from the Koran.

"In the name of God, the compassionate and the merciful..."

Nothing especially unusual – except the cleric is reading not in a mosque but what is officially a museum. And the museum is the Hagia Sophia, one of the single most emblematic edifices of human civilisation. A masterpiece of architecture, the Hagia Sophia was first built as a church in the sixth century under the Christian Byzantine Empire as the centrepiece of its capital Constantinople, today's Istanbul.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

A Turkish court has acquitted a British scholar who had been accused of "making propaganda for a terrorist organization."

Chris Stephenson, a computer science lecturer at Bilgi University, was deported from Turkey in March after being found with invitations for Kurdish New Year celebrations. He was later allowed to return to the country, where he has family.

Turkey in new quest to patch up with regional foes
AFP on June 23, 2016, 11:19 pm

Ankara (AFP) - Reaching out to Russia and working to normalise ties with Israel, Turkey is moving to mend fences and restore its waning regional clout by returning to a policy known as "zero problems with neighbours".

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

The question of the relationship between socialists on the one hand and Muslims and Islamic organisations on the other is of burning relevance both in the West and, even more so, in the countries of the Middle East.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Few might think to seek insights on Middle Eastern conflict or modern poverty in court records of the Ottoman empire. Yet when Duke University economist Timur Kuran combed through those centuries-old court documents, he made a surprising discovery with implications for modern times: The courts' actions had unintended consequences that inadvertently undercut people's finances.

The Turkish government's priorities in fighting terrorism are coming under question, as it increasingly cracks down on proponents of Kurdish rights while, critics say, it fails to show the same zeal against the Islamic State.

ISTANBUL--Turkey's central bank cut a key interest rate for a fourth consecutive month Tuesday on the back of lira stability and slowing inflation, continuing to loosen its monetary policy despite concerns the U.K. referendum could weigh on the currency if Britain votes to leave the European Union.

On June 17, about 20 men stormed the Velvet Indieground record store in Istanbul's hip Cihangir district with sticks and makeshift weapons. The people in the store were celebrating the release of British rock band Radiohead's new album. One of those attacked told Reuters the angry mob beat victims over the head with bottles. The mob left yelling things like "This is Turkey, you cannot drink [alcohol] during Ramadan" and "Let's see if you dare to drink alcohol again, we will set you on fire."

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – For residents of Cihangir, a trendy neighbourhood of cafes and bars in central Istanbul, it almost felt like a return to the summer of 2013, when protesters played cat-and-mouse with riot police amid clouds of tear gas night after night.

Turks living in Britain see it as their duty to integrate
June 20, 2016 3.30pm BST
Author

Erdem Dikici

PhD candidate, University of Bristol

For a long time, Turks have been a largely invisible minority group in Britain. But thanks to those campaigning for a British exit from the European Union who have argued that Turks are a national security threat, and those warning that 12m Turks want to come to Britain if Turkey becomes an EU member state, Turkish immigration is high on the national political agenda. This is despite the prospect of Turkey in the EU being very remote.

Turkish economy begins to slow down; current account deficit likely to widen this year

Monday, June 20, 2016 11:14 AM UTC

The Turkish economy is starting to slow down, based on certain signs. The Turkish economy grew 4.8 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, as compared with the previous quarter’s 5.7 percent growth. On a sequential basis, the Turkish GDP grew 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2016, a slowdown from the last quarter of 2015’s 1.2 percent. The year-on-year print for the first quarter came in above consensus projections of 4.4 percent year-on-year as private consumption and industrial production continued to grow.

ROME, Jun 19 2016 (IPS) - Will the rapid–though silent escalation of political tensions between the European Union and Turkey, which has been taking a dangerous turn over the last few weeks, push Ankara to drop a “human bomb” on Europe by opening its borders for refugees to enter Greece and other EU countries?

With a smirk, she lists headlines from pro-government newspapers painting her as a dangerous conspirator plotting against the state — a sure sign that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is worried about her.

Turkish vote on stronger presidency may come late this year
ANKARA | By Orhan Coskun and Nick Tattersall

Turkey will not hold a referendum on the powerful presidency sought by Tayyip Erdogan at least until the end of the year and could wait until 2019 if there is not enough support in parliament, the official overseeing the plans said.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

“Misleading” and “absolutely wrong” is how the Prime Minister describes ‘Leave’ campaigners who suggest Turkey could join the European Union. Unfortunately for him, it’s Mr Cameron who has in fact been “misleading” and “absolutely wrong” - and we have the evidence to prove it.

Mohammad Ali’s funeral in Louisville, Kentucky on June 8 and his eulogy on June 9 offered a rare opportunity for Americans to experience the juxtaposition of local and global politics. Most Americans are familiar with Ali’s influence on American politics, culture, and history. But many Americans, especially younger white people, are not aware of the international impact of Ali’s extraordinary career, especially in Africa but also in Asia and the Middle East.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is emphatic that there will be no return to the dialogue process with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He says the only way to go forward is to destroy this terrorist group. Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has also put paid to speculation that the government is considering a return to the “solution process.”

New Istanbul airport to offer massive cargo facility June 15, 2016 by Lewis King

On the streets of Istanbul, the construction of the new airport, located near the confluence ofthe Bosporus and the Black Sea, is a contentious issue. The project is part of President Erdogan’s ambitious infrastructure development project that he hopes will bolster Turkey’s position in regional and global markets. And with Turkish Cargo growing at an impressive rate over the last decade, increased air connectivity is central to this plan.

The leader's view of the Ottoman past may dictate whether the country embraces Islamization.

(Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images)

By Soner Cagaptay | Contributor

June 15, 2016, at 10:33 a.m.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the most powerful democratically elected leader in the country's history. He has run Turkey since 2002 through his Justice and Development Party (AKP), first as prime minister and since 2014 as president. Having orchestrated on May 22nd the promotion of his close ally Binali Yildirim to the post of prime minister and AKP chairman, Erdogan has amassed even more power in his hands: he is now head of state, as well as (de facto) head of government and leader of the ruling party. Where does he want to take Turkey?

Turkey absorbs almost half of global private infrastructure investment in 2015: World Bank

WASHINGTON

As global private infrastructure investment in 2015 mostly remained steady at $111.6 billion, Turkey raised the bar with the financial closure of seven projects for a record $44.7 billion, said the World Bank in a news release on June 13.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who this month picked up no less than the 44th honorary doctorate of his political career, likes nothing more than to give one of his trademark political speeches in full academic regalia.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Turkey’s economy may face a challenging period in the event of an increase in oil prices, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, has said, while urging officials to take measures on their energy policies.

Turkish President Erdogan writes a letter to President Putin
June 14, 2016 RIA Novosti

In a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated all Russians on the national holiday Russia Day on June 12. He expressed his desire that relations between Moscow and Ankara would reach a “distinguished level.”

ANKARA, June 14 (Reuters) - The European Union's top envoy to Turkey has resigned, an official from his delegation said on Tuesday, a month after he was summoned by Turkey's foreign ministry over comments critical of Ankara's handling of a landmark migration deal.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Thousands of young people among Turkey's 3.2 million unemployed are dreaming of getting a government appointment as a bankruptcy trustee. Since October, thousands of people have Googled the question “How can I become a trustee?” That in itself is enough to illustrate Turkey's economic problems — not to mention the unusual wave of bankruptcies the government has been involved in.

From Francis Ghilès. Sir, Philip Stephens writes, in “An ugly campaign to vilify Turks” (June 10), that Recep Tayyip Erdogan “the avowed democrat of a decade or so now resides in a palace fit for Louis XIV”

On May 27, Al-Monitor ran a vivid report about the massive destruction from Turkish security operations in the country’s mainly Kurdish southeast. The story described how people gathered on tall buildings in Diyarbakir’s ancient district of Sur, hoping to locate their homes intact in devastated neighborhoods that are still off-limits to residents, while others scrambled to recover usable belongings or the bodies of relatives. According to the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), at least 550 civilians have been killed and 350,000 people displaced since July 2015, when Ankara launched a massive crackdown to purge Kurdish militants entrenched in residential areas across the southeast.

When President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was about to board his plane to the Unites States to attend the funeral of a person he had never met in his life, spending our taxes, he said the following about the Armenian genocide resolution approved in the German Parliament:

“If Germany does not return from this wrong step, we, of course, will make an assessment according to this; the steps we have to take will be different. In other words, the period from now on will not be like the one up until today. There is a course in Germany, right now, where there are 3 million-3.5 million Turks. From now on, of course, this will be conducted in a much more careful, in a much more controlled way.”

Friday, June 10, 2016

Turkey’s economy grew a larger-than-expected 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2016, official data showed on June 10, outperforming major emerging markets peers, as wage hikes and spending by Syrian migrants fueled private consumption, according to analysts.

Thursday, June 09, 2016

Following its creation in 2001, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) singled out corruption, poverty and restrictions on liberties as the three main areas of its political battle. Using the initials of the Turkish words, it even coined a slogan — “Fighting the 3Y” — which became one of its most popular ones. Today, 14 years on, the AKP is wary of even uttering the expression “fighting corruption.” Most recently, an anti-corruption commission, created by the AKP itself, was tossed into the dustbin of history by the new government of Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

He's not a trained actor, but Turkish businessman Serdar Ali Abet hopes his television debut - and a mix of cliff-hangers, melodrama and lavish sets - can win fans across the Arab world and help revive Turkey's moribund tourist industry.

A bomb-laden car that was used in a deadly bomb attack in the central Vezneciler neighborhood of Istanbul on June 7 had been left parked at a multi-story car park for three days before the attack, police have revealed.

Members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) organized a march on June 9 to protest an attack on party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu during a funeral for police victims of a June 7 attack in central Istanbul.

Flick through the campaign material of the Brexiters fighting Britain’s EU referendum and you will find a video of a brawl in the Ankara parliament. Next, a poster with an image of a UK passport declaring that “Turkey (population 76m) is joining the EU”. Then statistics about Turkey’s high birth rate; and a warning that Britain’s National Health Service will soon be swamped by expectant Turkish mothers.

Between getting accused of genocide by a major ally and suffering repeated bombings by Kurdish militants, Turkey is having a pretty tough June — and it’s only been eight days. Bizarre and in some cases offensive comments from Turkish leaders and pro-government journalists aren’t making things any better.

Wednesday, June 08, 2016

In the framework of their regular exchanges on counter-terrorism, Turkey and the European Union held the Turkey-EU Counter-Terrorism (CT) Dialogue in Brussels on 8 June 2016. Terrorism poses a direct threat to our countries and our citizens. The EU and Turkey recognised the importance of the need to work together closely as key partners and strategic allies to counter these threats to our security and peace.

Statement by NSC Deputy Spokesperson Mark Stroh On the Bombing in Istanbul, Turkey

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today's terrorist attack in the heart of Istanbul’s central tourist district, which appears to have targeted Turkish police forces. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those killed and injured, and to their loved ones. This horrific act is only the most recent of many terrorist attacks against Turkey. The United States stands together with Turkey, a NATO Ally and valued partner, as we confront many challenges in the region.

What can possibly justify this columnist’s unusual optimism over the crisis with Berlin at an exclusively very bad time, when Turkish threats have forced the German security apparatus to assign bodyguards to a Turkish-German MP? There are two very good signs: Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Berlin and it has warned of “serious consequences.” There are also other good signs that point to brighter Turkish-German relations.

LONDON, June 8 The Turkish owner of Godiva chocolate and McVitie's biscuits has set up a London-based company that will boost its exposure to international markets and investors, helping the company compete in an increasingly competitive global food industry.

Tuesday, June 07, 2016

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at German lawmakers of Turkish descent for backing last week’s genocide resolution on Armenia, deepening strains between Germany and Turkey at a time when Europe urgently needs his help in the refugee crisis.

Turkey is waging a 'hearts and minds' campaign to undermine popular support for the 32-year Kurdish insurgency. But rising violence, including possibly Tuesday's Istanbul bombing, casts doubt on its strategy.

Ever since armed conflict between Turkish government forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) resumed last summer, I have been puzzled about one thing in particular: The reaction in Europe and the reaction in the Kurdish community both here and abroad.

Turkey's Foreign Policy: From 'Zero Problems' To 'Nothing But Problems'

By Abbas Djavadi

June 06, 2016

For years, former Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's policy of "zero problems with neighboring countries" was a flagship concept of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Friday, June 03, 2016

How violence helped both Erdogan and his Kurdish opponents in Turkey’s elections
By Aysegul Aydin and Cem Emrence June 3 at 6:00 AM

In Turkey’s June 2015 election, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its majority in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, and the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) won seats as an independent political party for the first time. This victory initially generated enormous hope for change in Turkish politics. Instead, the AKP refused to form a coalition government with other political parties, forcing a snap election in November, which the AKP won decisively. Since then, the broad crackdown on the media, civil society and academia has become a major threat to Turkish democracy itself.

As Turkey reels from terror attacks, the fallout of Syria's civil war, and political and economic uncertainties, Turks abroad are thinking hard about taking traditional summer holidays back to their homeland.

Thursday, June 02, 2016

Diplomats accredited to Ankara are abnormally busy these days, not only because of the accelerated pre-Ramadan receptions and dinner invitations but also because of the hectic political agenda of the Turkish capital. In how many countries might a prime minister, six months after a smart and overwhelming electoral victory, meet with the president, step down complaining it was “not within my disposition” and hand over party leadership and the Prime Ministry to yet another politician who, like the outgoing one, was also handpicked by the same absolute ruler?

Germany and the Armenian genocide
Name and shame
Deciding what to call a century-old Turkish atrocity
Jun 4th 2016 | BERLIN | From the print edition

The past is present

TURKEY considers the Ottoman Empire’s mass murder of well over a million Armenians and other Christians in 1915-17 a tragedy. But “genocide”? Armenia and many historians say it was. Turkey insists it was not—and berates any country, from France to the Vatican, that uses the word. Nonetheless, more than 20 countries have officially recognised the killings as genocide. On June 2nd it was Germany’s turn, when its Bundestag passed a resolution calling the killings “genocide” no fewer than four times.

Syria's Gypsy refugees find sanctuary in an Istanbul ghetto – but for how long?

In Tarlabaşı, Istanbul’s oldest slum, a tiny community centre offers a crucial place of safety and support for the shunned Syrian Dom community. But as the city gentrifies, there are fears these refugees may become victims once again

It is not clear whether Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım was referring to his government or the “Erdoğan administration” when he said, after assuming office, that Turkey’s new foreign policy orientation would be “to increase the number of friends and reduce the number of enemies.”

Public opinion is an important input for decision-makers and politicians to measure their successes - or rather the public perception of their successes - regarding specific policies and general trends. Conducting surveys is one way to gauge the public’s view at any given time. If you do them regularly, they provide a tool to compare changes in the public’s mood.

Wednesday, June 01, 2016

The appointment of Prime Minister Binali Yildrim comes against the backdrop of elevated government meddling in domestic economic affairs. The AKP ongoing interference in the private business sphere of Turkey follows a heightened drive to reform the political system and move toward a presidential republic.

By David P. Goldman on May 31, 2016 in AT Top Writers, David P. Goldman, Middle East, Spengler

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded that Turkish women abandon contraception in a televised address May 30, Reuters reported. “We will multiply our descendants. They talk about population planning, birth control. No Muslim family can have such an approach,” Erdogan said. The Turkish leader has denounced Turkish women for refusing to have more babies on many earlier occasions.

On her tour of Turkey's Black Sea region, Meral Aksener is drawing large crowds eager to hear her message of revitalizing her Nationalist Action Party, or MHP. The region is a bastion of Turkish nationalism and was once an MHP stronghold; however, in recent elections, the nationalist party has seen its vote cannibalized by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP.